Thoughts for the week

A 100-page long letter

The Boy Jonas is fighting to be by his father perceived, to come in contact with. He writes his father a letter that became a book. Jonas describes himself and his life.

Father is afraid

Author:

Jonas is ten, he sees his father only rarely, often, he has months of no contact. To the father then all of a sudden just calls. Or you meet randomly. Then the father says, says ‘Hello’, is silent and goes. Why he makes the Jonas asks his mother. She gives him the answer is always, when Jonas asks something like this: Because he is afraid.

Jonas would like to change that his father is afraid and that you don’t have rare contact, but he knows what can ermachen. Then, Jonas has the idea to write a letter to his father. Why? “Because I want you to have no fear in front of me,” he writes (p. 105). “I imagine you know by this letter how things in my life, and how I feel. If it is true that you want to know how I am, and how I am, then you know now. If it’s true that you’re scared of me, go away, this maybe a bit of it“ (p. 41f).

Children are smart

Jonas’ letter is a very long letter. So long that it became a book title: “I am now 10 – A Boy writes to his father.” It is a true story. On a good 100 pages Jonas tells his father how his everyday life looks like, what his favorite T-Shirt is like a day in the school is that he’s shooting to be proud of his skill with archery and the fact that he puts himself through Meditation to rest. You think with him about happiness and family, friends, and tantrums, about God and the world, about peace and social exploitation, the burden of life, which decreases to one of death. Jonas believes in God, it is important to him, that he is friendly. He writes: “there is only one God. The father in heaven. There are also mother earth on which we stand. Your children are the four seasons, the five elements, the animals and the people. God the father is the guardian of the peace“ (p. 102).

I was impressed by how smart children are. While reading, I remembered how clever I was by myself at the age of ten. And how unfortunate, because my father was absent. Jonas would have to actually be unhappy, I thought: His beloved grandparents died, a young clique in the school is teasing and beating him, he is afraid that his mother dies and his father is never there. In fact, Jonas makes sad and angry. But, he writes, “I am often happy. Would me, if I’m lucky, a Fairy three Wishes questions, I would say in the first Moment, wow, that’s a lot. I’m usually so happy that I wishes me nothing (p. 78). Happiness is when I find new friends. It also makes me happy, new adults meeting (p. 79). When I feel courage, I will be happy, and happiness has a lot to do with family. It is actually not hard to be happy, I think. Many people are happy, without realizing it.“

Unfortunately you will be alone

Jonas is convinced that everyone can make to be happy. His experience is: to be Unhappy is usually by itself, who wants to be happy, must do something about it. For example, by trying not to be unhappy. Jonas writes: “I do this by concentrating on happy memories. I can think of too easy, so now I’m happy. This works for me“ (p. 80). A Very Lucky Man.

After reading the book a letter I thought: I’m Jonas: a person who is important to me, to write in a letter what is important to me, as I am, what I was thinking about how I’m changing. – Jonas didn’t know what to think his father was probably reading the letter he has just received last Christmas, so in 2015. But Jonas definitely knows more about himself. And he wrote this down. That was brave. – That alone is happiness.

Antje Borchers is a graduate of Media Economics and operates the Agency Kommedien, with the support for the communication of companies and Church communities. She has spent many years as managing editor of the Christian youth magazine of the contra point. As a volunteer you as a Prädikantin worship services and sermons. You meet up with friends, enjoys cooking (“cooking is like Crafting!”) and lives in Westphalia with her husband in Lemgo/.